NYU Wagner and The Century Foundation are proud to present Debates of the Century @NYU Wagner, a public debate series showcasing thoughtful, informed dialogue from experts on the most vital national policy issues.

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MEDICAID

In January, the Trump administration announced it would approve Medicaid waivers that link eligibility for health coverage to a requirement that “able-bodied” individuals work. Advocates and critics disagree about whether such requirements are effective in motivating families to pursue a true path to independence, or instead if they only add a burden to disadvantaged people trying to make ends meet.

Join us as two former Medicaid directors debate the effectiveness of work requirements as a policy tool. Read More.

Featuring:Vikki Wachino, former US director of Medicaid; John McCarthy, former Ohio director of Medicaid and former Washington, DC director of Medicaid

Moderated by:Erin Billups, health reporter for Spectrum News, NY1

PAST DEBATES

SCHOOL SEGREGATION

Sixty-four years after Brown v. Board of Education, segregation by race and economic class continues to persist in schools of all types, and in every state across America. But is school segregation one of the biggest threats to education today, or is it merely a distraction from deeper issues of resource allocation and poor standards?Read More

Featuring:Sheryll D. Cashin and Dr. Howard Fuller.

Moderated by: Secretary John B. King Jr.

GENTRIFICATION

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Gentrification. It’s complicated and controversial—an interplay of urban planning, housing, transportation, inequality, and the movement of people. It drives heated discussions in townhalls, community board meetings, and legislative bodies in New York City and urban areas around the world. The media often debates what—if any—policy responses or interventions we should implement.

As cities around the world continue to undergo significant change, we ask: How serious of a problem is gentrification? Should the government intervene and stop it from happening? If so, how? And to what degree? Read More

SCHOOL VOUCHERS

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia currently have private school choice programs. Proponents of vouchers point out that low-income children—too often stuck in failing public schools—deserve the opportunity to choose superior private options just like their more affluent peers. Skeptics observe that private school vouchers divert funding from public schools, voucher students’ academic outcomes are difficult to measure or inconsistent, and some students might lose certain civil rights protections in private schools. What are the risks and rewards of using public money to fund private schooling? Who benefits, and who gets left behind? Join us for a debate on private school vouchers to hear the answers to these questions and more. Read More

POLICING

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

The 2014 deaths of Michael Brown, an unarmed black man killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner, a Staten Island man who died during an arrest, ignited nationwide protests, outcry, and debate over the state of policing in the United States. After additional incidents of police force, some resulting in death, tensions between police and civilians have galvanized media and public attention. Consensus around the most effective way to keep every community safe and ensure accountability continues to be a matter of debate among policymakers, police, and activists alike.

SYRIA

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

The Syrian civil war is a human catastrophe, threatening international stability, undermining regional alliances, and challenging U.S. counterterrorism strategies and interests in the Middle East. Bashar al-Assad has systematically destroyed his own state rather than reform his rule and negotiate a political transfer of power to a real elected leader. The fragmentation and power vacuum in Syria has spurred the rise of the Islamic State, exacerbated the war in Iraq, and polarized the region. The U.S. government is already deeply involved in a covert war in Syria, and the humanitarian response to the crisis. It’s time to expand that policy into a more assertive and effective intervention.

Featuring: Ambassador Robert S. Ford, former U.S. Ambassador to Syria, and Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, Derek Chollet, Counselor and Senior Advisor for Security and Defense Policy, The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

NATIONAL SECURITY

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Some people believe the recent dispute between the FBI and Apple over a locked iPhone marks the return of what privacy advocates called the”crypto wars” of the 1990s, when federal authorities tried and failed to mandate government access to most forms of electronic communication. Although the FBI managed to decrypt the iPhone at issue without the company’s help, Apple and others are racing to build devices and messaging services that no one but their owners can unlock. The legal question remains unresolved in Congress, where competing bills have been introduced, and in dozens of cases pending in state and federal courts. Learn More.

IMMIGRATION

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

As the current presidential election season has made clear, immigration is a hot-button issue which raises questions of national security, jobs, and even American identity and morality. While many Americans agree that we should reform our country’s approach to immigration, they disagree on what direction it should take. Learn more

Featuring: Marielena Hincapié, Executive Director of National Immigration Law Center, David Frum, Senior Editor, The Atlantic

Moderated by: Jonathan Alter, author and journalist

HIGHER EDUCATION

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Post-secondary education is more important than ever for achieving success in America. As the demand for a better-educated workforce increases, so does the cost of a diploma. Should we re-examine the American system of public post-secondary education, so that tuition could be free?Learn more.

Featuring: Sara Goldrick-Rab, Professor of Educational Policy & Sociology at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Richard Vedder, Director of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity

The Century Foundation is a nonprofit, progressive public policy think tank that seeks to foster opportunity, reduce inequality, and promote security at home and abroad. Founded in 1919, TCF pursues its mission by conducting timely, non-partisan research and policy analysis that informs citizens, guides policymakers, and reshapes what government does for the better.

NYU Wagner has been educating and preparing the world’s future public service leaders since 1938. Our students translate personal commitment into nonprofit, public, and private sector careers that have an impact on the world’s most pressing issues. Our faculty conduct research that changes the way people frame, understand, analyze, and act on issues of public importance.